Move over job hopping, a new trend is taking over the workforce: job hugging. It refers to staying in a job longer than usual for comfort, security or stability, something nearly half (48%) of employed workers say they’re currently doing, according to Monster’s 2025 Job Hugging Report.
The employment site surveyed 1,004 U.S. employees and found:
- Three-quarters expect to stay at their current job for at least two more years.
- More than half (59%) think job hugging has become more common this year and 63% expect it to become even more common next year.
- This shows comfort, pay and stability now outweigh ambition and change.
- Ambition used to fuel career changes, but today workers see stability as success.
- Overall, 85% of workers say they’ve job hugged at least once in their career, for pay and benefits (27%) or job security (26%).
- While staying put can bring peace of mind, it comes with trade-offs like feeling less satisfied and “stuck” (27%).
- Nearly half (47%) say job hugging has little effect on their career, but about a quarter see it as either limiting (27%) or a way to get more expertise (26%).
- Even though the trend is on the rise, 94% see its potential downsides, including missing out on higher pay (26%), burnout from lack of change (25%) and limited career advancement (25%).
- When asked what may push them to finally take action and change jobs, higher pay and benefits top the list (28%), followed by better work-life balance (18%) and more remote options (14%).
- It’s probably not surprising to know that employers support job hugging, valuing those who do for their loyalty (26%), institutional knowledge (22%) and lower turnover costs (30%).
Source: Monster
Scott's Thoughts:
- Of course companies like it, unless the job hugger is a terrible employee they can’t get rid of!
- I guess I do that. Been at iHeart for 11 years, and was at the previous company I worked for almost 20 years. I guess I don't really like change!
- At this point, I want to stay put till retirement. But I don't want to become burned out. Gotta find ways to keep it fresh!